160 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 



Imago. Very robust, and generally of large size, the wing- 

 cells open, or closed with a rudimentary nervule ; hind-margin 

 of the fore-wings nearly always more or less concave ; hind- 

 wings often tailed ; antennae long, thick, gradually produced 

 into a well-marked club ; eyes naked. 



Range. With the exception of Apatura, which is found over 

 the greater part of Europe and North America, the Apaturina 

 are almost entirely tropical or sub-tropical Butterflies, and 

 the range of the gene-a is usually restricted to a single geo- 

 graphical region, within which that of the different species is 

 necessarily still more restricted. They are. however, insects 

 of powerful flight, but as they are forest-loving and mostly 

 tree-feeding species, they never seem to stray far from the 

 neighbourhood where they lived as caterpillars. Their habits 

 are sufficiently discussed under the genera and species, which 

 we now proceed to notice. 



Entomologists have never been in accord as to whether the 

 Apatura group should be treated as a separate section of the 

 Nymphalincz, or not. I have already mentioned (p. 44) that 

 the late Mr. Jenner Weir was convinced of the propriety of 

 the former course, and I am glad to adopt his views upon the 

 subject, as a tribute to the memory of a kind friend, on whose 

 judgment one could always rely. 



GENUS APATURA. 



Apatura, Fabr., in Illiger, Mag. Insekt, vi., p. 280 (1807); 

 Westw., Gen. Diurn. Lepid., p. 302 (1850); Schatz, Exot 

 Schmett, ii., p, 165 (1888). 



Type, A. iris (Linn.). 



Eyes naked ; antennse long, thick, straight, the club elongate- 

 ovate ; palpi long, and projecting beyond the head, with the 

 basal and terminal joints of nearly equal length, the latter 

 conical and scaly, the intermediate one very long, slender. 



